It’s early morning but I wake well rested. The sunlight is soft, the Mediterranean calm, and now the alarm clock buzzes in the background. From the comfort of our hotel room, my eyes slowly open and I am reminded of the counsel from my father, half a world away:
Don’t you know you’re living the dream?
And, as it turns out, I am. I woke this morning in a Leading Hotel of the World. A five-star paradise. A Mediterranean retreat. If the spectacular beauty of the surrounding rocky coastline and unspoiled beaches aren’t enough to put a smile on your face, then surely the balcony, spa or pool outside your door will do.
You wouldn’t pick our group out of a crowd – a couple of studious doctors, a NASA flight controller chasing a dream, a self-proclaimed half-assed real estate lawyer and a State Department diplomat to Cyprus. But as I walk downstairs I am reminded that after just one week and a handful of conversations, names are known and stories are shared. The receptionist embraces my broken Spanish because she knows I’m trying to progress. The bellman admires our bikes because a former racer knows a good machine. The teachers will arrive outside early after years of preaching punctuality to their students.
It’s the second-to-last day of our weeklong Costa Brava trip but there came a point this morning when I couldn’t focus on preparations for tomorrow’s trip end. The sun was shining bright and I filled water bottles for the umpteenth time, grease smeared across my calf, bike tools in my pocket, and a fresh cortado cupped in my hands. The caffeine had combined with the excitement of the day and left me far too distracted for the likes of goodbyes and shuttle transfers.
So with the wind in our hair and sun on our faces we took to the road. Pedal we did, hill after hill, turn after turn. Open roads are places to escape with friends. Views are supposed to be shared. After yesterday’s recon of the costal road from the comfort of a sailboat, today we took to the pavement and made our way to the next seaside village. Turns out heaven lies somewhere between S’Agaro and Tossa del Mar, with a finely tuned bicycle and good company, beside rugged cliffs and contrasting colors.
After exploring the seaside villages and centuries-old castles, we turned back the way we came. It would be hard for the flavors of tonight’s Michelin-starred dinner to improve upon such a perfect day, but seamless conversation and bottomless laughter erupted effortlessly in-between each decadent course. So with tired legs and energized hearts we raised a glass of cava and toasted the wild coast.
One of the most overlooked parts of bicycle maintenance is chain lubrication. Both too much and too little lubrication can make your drivetrain work harder than it is supposed to resulting in increased wear and the dreaded chainring tattoo.
Proper lubrication of the chain actually requires very little lubricant. A drip style bottle is always recommended over an aerosol can. Not only are most aerosols harmful to the environment, but 75% of the lube is actually wasted. A proper technique is to put just one drop of lube on each chain link roller. The object is to lube inside the small roller, not outside on the parts of the chain that you see.
As the chain moves over the chain ring teeth that small roller is what needs the most lubrication. Lubricating the outer plates of the chain does nothing to make your shifting smoother or your chain quit. A trick that many pro mechanics do after they lubricate the chain is to wipe the chain down with a rag and some denatured alcohol. The pro mechanics know that excess lubrication only attracts dirt and dust making your chain wear faster and get dirty easier.
So next time you go out for a ride and need to lubricate your chain, try it: one drop of your favorite lube per roller. It actually does not take long to do and you will thank yourself for not spraying chain lube all over unnecessary parts!
Writing about cycling vacations in the world’s premier travel destinations involves taking the reader away from their desk and transporting them to a winding road under the Tuscan sun. It means recounting stories of epic rides. Telling the tales of travelers. Describing luxury hotels and Michelin-starred meals. Meet Jordan Sher, the voice of Trek Travel and the man who so eloquently describes the experiences that speak for themselves.
Tell us your story.
I took the long way to bikes. A fat kid in high school, I hit the drama club hard and ditched gym class daily (note: Trek Travel does not endorse the skipping of gym class).
In college I dropped way more than the freshman 15; in fact I lost about 75 pounds. After graduating from college, my dad invited me to ride the MS 150 with him. I didn’t ride bikes, but I gave it a try. I’ll never forget my first kit: I wore a cotton T-shirt, cheap bike shorts and rode a mountain bike with slicks. But I did it. How awesome was I? That was the true beginning of the beginning.
About 15 years ago, I joined a cycling team on a dare. I was waaaayyyy out of my element, but something about the challenge kept me motivated. I decided to adopt the mantle of a bike racer and do whatever it was bike racers do—that includes investing in expensive bikes, dieting to cut weight and riding all the time.
At the same time I was in graduate school for copywriting and decided a life of freelance writing in advertising was for me. It’s the perfect mix of everything I love – advertising (give me a commercial and I’ll tell you who made it), writing and the time to ride my bike 300 miles a week.
I’ve been riding big ever since, and have kept racing for the past 10 years. When I discovered the awesome crew at Trek Travel, it was a match made in heaven. Writing about ride camps? Race trips? Classic climbs? Yes, please. I couldn’t have asked for a better, dreamier opportunity.
What inspired you to become a writer?
It’s more about what inspired me to go into marketing. I have loved advertising since I was a toddler, shushing my mom during her daytime television to watch the commercials. To this day, I am more obsessed by commercials than by regular TV. I know. So sad.
How long have you been riding bikes?
I’ve been racing for 15 years. I kind of think I was riding a bicycle in the womb. Is that too much information?
How did you end up at Trek Travel?
I started working with these crazies in 2013 when they redesigned their website. I was just lucky enough that we clicked. Oh, I wanted us to click in the worst way.
Tell us about your best day on a bicycle.
There are so many. Riding the Haleakelah in Maui. Grinding up Magnolia Road in Boulder, one of the steepest roads in the country. My bachelor party was a group ride. Ironman Lake Placid. But I think the most memorable was the day we rode Puig Major and Sa Colobra in Mallorca on Trek Travel ride camp. I had no idea roads like this could exist. It’s 10K of the craziest climb I have ever seen. Have you been? If not, you need to.
Tell us about your favorite ride in Colorado.
Mt. Evans is the highest paved road in North America. It’s your only opportunity to ride to the top of a fourteener. At 10,000 feet, the weather changes. At 12,000 feet, there are no trees. At 14,000 feet, the bighorn sheep look at you funny. And at 14,600 feet you reach the observatory. I have been up several times, but the air is so thin I only remember a few.
What is your favorite travel destination and what excites you most about this part of the world?
The races of Europe are where it’s at. If I were 12, I’d have posters of all cycling heroes on my walls. Before I leave this planet, I will go to the Spring Classics. I will watch a stage on the Mortirolo in Italy. And I will run like a drunk idiot next to some racer on Alpe d’Huez. Mark my words.
Tell us about your best travel adventure.
This sounds so sad, but most all my great travel adventures are by bicycle. I once road-tripped to Couer d’Alene from Denver in one day (16 hours) in a Mini Cooper with three bikes on the roof. I once raced Ironman Galveston on a broken foot and had a personal best. I think my favorite, though, is still the big city. I went to college in New York City and still love to go back as a tourist. Mostly because I know I don’t have to search for an apartment while I’m there.
Trek Travel sat down with Bill Ruddick, executive director of Gran Fondo NJ, to learn more about the inspiration for this incredible event. From riding across Canada to a fat bike ride across a frozen lake at the end of February, the Gran Fondo is crafted from once-in-a-lifetime cycling experiences. Bill knows first hand how tough a ride can be, but more importantly, how to make it fun.
For those who are unaware, what is a Gran Fondo?
A Gran Fondo is a mass-participation endurance cycling event, with a timing component, and a festival at the end. Gran Fondo routes are typically very challenging (lots of climbing). Some Gran Fondos time start-to-finish, others time only the toughest hill climbs. At Gran Fondo NJ we offer timing only on the toughest climbs of the routes – this allows our riders to enjoy the scenery of the routes and the amazing offerings at our rest stops without feeling they are being penalized.
What is the history behind Gran Fondo NJ?
Gran Fondo NJ is the brainchild of Marty Epstein, its founder and the owner of Marty’s Reliable Cycle. We started the event in 2011 with an initial focus of showcasing the amazing cycling in northern New Jersey, providing our riders with the best one-day experience they will have on a bike, and putting on a sustainably responsible event. The event is also used by some of our riders, as well as our five beneficiaries, as a charity ride to raise funds for their favorite causes. The event has raised over $600,000 for charities since its inception and last year it was the first cycling event in the world to earn a Gold Level of accreditation from the Council for Responsible Sport.
What makes this event particularly unique?
We think Gran Fondo NJ offers a unique blend of a challenging bike ride, a personal competition with our timed hill climbs and fun. You know this is different from any other cycling experience when you pull in to the first rest stop and are greeted by Cheerleaders, Seeing Eye puppies and cannolis. To the surprise of many, we have amazingly beautiful cycling routes just 40 miles from NYC.
Tell us your story. How long have you been riding bikes?
I have been riding bikes since I was a kid delivering the morning newspaper in Montreal. I rode my bike to school and college, and have built up a number of bikes from scrap parts. Once my kids got older, I started riding and raising money in charity events. My first week-long event was a ride across Alaska in August of 2000 (yes we had two days of snow), and it just took off from there.
What was your inspiration to ride across Canada in 2010?
I was inspired to ride across Canada to re-live a family road trip in the summer of 1966 – my mum and dad packed up 4 kids and camping gear in a station wagon and drove from Montreal to Vancouver and back. It also met my criteria for adventure – “If you are going to do something, it might as well be memorable!”
Tell us about your most adventurous day on a bike.
My most adventurous day on a bike was on the ride across Canada – it was a supported ride, but basically a daily game of “Survivor” played out over 10 weeks. Each day we had to ride to the next campsite where the truck with all our gear was waiting. On one day, a 100-mile ride between Ottawa and Montreal, I broke a rear drive-side spoke 20 miles in to the ride. Luckily I found a bike shop back in Ottawa that had the spoke I needed, but to get it fixed I had to abandon the group I was with, take a taxi back to the shop, get the wheel fixed and start off all over again alone. I ended up re-starting the ride at around noon, and rode the 100 miles as an individual time trial. I managed to complete it in just over 6 hours (including two ferry rides and sight seeing) and to the surprise of the other riders on the tour made it into camp just before dinner.
What is your favorite travel destination and why?
There is something very captivating about Paris in the summertime – from the amazing sights, the wine and food, to the light at the end of a summer day. Also fun to plan it to coincide with the final day of the Tour de France when the city is taken over by the excitement of the peloton racing up and down the Champs Elysees.
Which Trek Travel trip is top on your bucket list and why?
That’s an easy one – it would have to be the Provence luxury vacation. I would like to test my mettle once again on Mont Ventoux, and ride through les Gorges de la Nesque – I had the opportunity to drive through les Gorges in 2004 and ever since then felt it would be an amazing cycling experience.
I have been riding a bike as long as I can remember.
Usually it was a hand-me-down from my older sister, but the time came for a “decent” bike when I started participating in the sprint triathlon circuit. So of course I chose it based on the color–hot orange. I was a mediocre swimmer and an average runner, but I made up all my time on the bicycle. I moved on from the triathlons soon after I won my first and only trophy–Best in Age Group–but I kept biking.
One of the first dates I had with my husband, Scott, was mountain biking. It was mostly hills, and some were pretty steep! I quickly realized that the hot orange number was out of date and I needed a new ride. I bought a Gary Fisher. Twenty four years later we still have that bike, although it has received a few upgrades. Scott rides it with knobby tires while I ride my Trek 7700 Hybrid (which was my upgrade around 2004).
I am not a serious biker by any stretch of the imagination. Living in Madison, Wisconsin I have several friends who work in the bike industry and we heard about a Trek Travel trip to the California Wine Country. It may have even been one of Trek Travel’s first years in business. It sounded good to me and a group of us signed up.
I had no Idea this trip would be so life changing. My trip preparation included working with Carmichael Training Systems. There was all kinds of technical advice to take advantage of, which was too much work for me. But I gleaned one suggestion that that has stayed with me. “Ride at least 100 miles per week and you will be ready.” No problem. I can do that.
On our first trip, we were lucky to ride with Frankie Andreu, who is a nine time Tour de France finisher. I learned from one of the best. I can still hear him say, “Get on my wheel!” So I did. (Did I mention he was really cute, too?) I completed every climb on every ride, although there may have been a few choice words along the way. “One Hundred mile per week and you will be ready.”
It became my mantra. “One Hundred miles per week and you will be ready.” Every day I can, I jump on my bike and ride. When asked what I am training for I reply, “I am training for life.” One hundred miles per week provides a goal to work toward, a sense of accomplishment, and a strong and healthy body. Did I mention all the calories burned? Sometimes I ride alone, sometimes with friends, other times I meet people on the trail and ride with strangers for a while. Camaraderie comes easily.
One wedding anniversary I received a square box…surely a beautiful watch or bracelet. As I opened the box my husband said, “You might not like this at first, but you will come to love it.” It was a Garmin 305. He was right. I love this piece of equipment. Time, distance, average speed, calories burned, routes ridden. I keep track of everything!
Last summer the beloved 7700 was not rolling along as she once did. Because I had a flat, I stopped into a bike shop. While I was there I asked for an opinion on the overall condition of my bike. The guys kind of laughed. You need a new chain, new cassette, brakes, brake cables, tires and a few spokes. Is it worth it I asked? They said, “Are you kidding? This is a great bike!” This one is made in the USA and definitely worth updating. I am now ready to roll into my next decade with this bike.
Over the years with Trek Travel I have climbed Mt. Ventoux in Provence; I achieved a speed of 47 mph on a descent in Utah riding from Bryce Canyon to Zion; we rode the 78 mile “High Road” from Santa Fe to Taos. We have ridden through Chianti tasting wine, eating delicious food and enjoying the beauty of ancient Italy.
Winner of a 2014 James Beard Award for restaurant design, SHED is a market, café, and community gathering space in Healdsburg, California designed to bring us closer to the way we grow, prepare, and share our food. We caught up with owner Cindy Daniels to learn more about the home she has created and join in her mission to nurture the connection between good farming, good cooking, and good eating.
Tell us your story. What inspired you to start SHED?
Over the years we’ve been fortunate to be part of a growing community of sustainable farmers, wine producers, and environmentalists in Northern California, and wanted to create a place that embodied the best the region has to offer. We found inspiration in the words of Wendell Berry: “An agrarian mind begins with the love of the fields and ramifies in good farming, good cooking, and good eating.” These words became our mantra. We called ourselves SHED, because we would be tied to our foodshed, with most of our food flowing from local farms and ranches. We would be active conservators of our watershed, and stewards of the land. Our market/café/gathering place would be, in effect, an abundant toolshed offering enduring, quality tools for the kitchen, garden and farm. And symbolically, our shed would be an enclosure that shelters ideas, sustenance and community.
What about Healdsburg, California made you decide to locate there?
In 1994 we discovered a 15-acre hay field and moved from San Francisco to Healdsburg with our two small children to realize our dream of having a farm. Located in Dry Creek Valley, a fertile watershed with the climate and geography that suggested the opportunity for a diversified farm, HomeFarm is now a rich patchwork of intermixed fields and orchards where we grow an array of vegetables, herbs, flowers, olives, grapes, chickens, bees, fruits and nuts.
You describe SHED as a modern Grange. To those who are not familiar, can you discuss what this means?
To those unfamiliar with the Grange movement, there’s a rich history that goes back to the late 1800’s when farms formed collectives to create healthier, more resilient communities and built grange halls to provide a place to share ideas and socialize. SHED engages the Grange’s history as both a rural meeting place and farmers’ exchange but is firmly rooted in contemporary Healdsburg. We are a gathering place that celebrates our region’s farmers and makers while tapping into a global community of chefs, producers, and visitors. Our dinners and programs, crafted to revive the Grange traditions of fellowship, conviviality, and exchange, feed a cultural appetite for ideas and interests ranging beyond the realm of food and farming, including art, culture, civic engagement, and community.
What does ‘farm-to-table’ means to you and why is it important to SHED?
Our vision was to create a place where the beauty and aliveness of the complete food cycle—the growing, preparing, and eating —would become visible, revealing and reinforcing the path from farm to table, and back to farm. Our café brings together all of the elements we believe in: responsible farming, ingredient-driven cooking, and flavorful food. That’s what farm-to-table means to us at SHED. Located in the heart of our space, the café features an open kitchen, wood-burning oven, and house-made products. Our menus change daily, inspired by what’s in season, and reflect our commitment to local farmers and producers.
Can you talk a little bit about your intentions behind SHED’s unique design?
Our desire to celebrate local farms, food, and community shaped the building’s architecture and informed the construction. The utilitarian pre-engineered metal building is a familiar type of barn found throughout California’s agricultural landscape. Inspired by open-air markets, the space is very light and airy, with 8 large garage-style doors that open to the outdoor decks and to the street, inviting people in and letting the activity spill out. We worked with environmentally minded manufacturers and local artisans to create a resource-efficient building that uses recycled metal siding, shredded denim for insulation, reclaimed wood for most of the furnishings, and solar power for almost half our energy. We even have a rain garden along the side of our building to filter all of the water falling on the roof and site before it flows into the adjoining creek.
What can you tell us about the community at SHED?
Our growing community includes farmers, ranchers, fishermen, artisan producers, wine/cider/beer makers, backyard gardeners, chefs, home cooks, food crafters, musicians, dancers, thought leaders, environmentalist activists, civic leaders, authors, children of all ages, and most importantly, teachers and enthusiastic learners. Fundamental to our mission of promoting good farming, good cooking and good eating is the educational program at SHED. We have a diverse array of classes and workshops with wonderful instructors teaching skills such as butchery, composting, pruning, beekeeping, basketmaking, beer and cidermaking, cheesemaking, and many others. In addition, we schedule all kinds of demos, book signings, wine tastings, etc to activate our cafe, bar, and market areas downstairs. We also like to stage fun social events such as pie contests, annual cider pressings, pumpkin carving contests and other seasonal and celebratory events.
Upstairs, in what we call our Modern Grange, a large flexible meeting space supported by a commercial kitchen, we’ve had lectures, panel discussions, exhibits, and film screenings as well as seed exchanges, farmer meet-ups, producer dinners, and live music. Pulling together society’s threads to help create a community-wide tapestry of support, we’ve also hosted many local groups doing social good: our farmers market, our farmers guild, our riverkeeper, our public schools, and our land trust among many. As a community resource SHED also welcomes private conferences, meetings, and celebrations.
These threads are just a few of the ways we’ve worked to become a community resource, a cultural hub, and a vibrant place for people to gather, collaborate, and grow.
Your fermentation bar is truly one-of-a-kind. Can you tell our readers a little bit about it and the beverages you create?
Thank you for appreciating what we’ve created at our fermentation bar! We built the Ferm Bar (and have nurtured it) as a way to share our love of fermented beverages — such as our house-made kombucha and kefir water, shrubs (vinegar-based fruit drinks) and shims (low-alcohol cocktails). We also offer wine, beer, hard cider, and honey mead, all fermented drinks sourced from local producers. Gillian Helquist, our Fermentation Crafter, says “Fermentation is an endless discovery; an ancient way to preserve the season’s offerings and feed people.”
To guests who are going to visit SHED, what type of experience should they expect?
A visit to SHED should feel like a fun and friendly tour of what’s happening in food and farming in our region — stop first at the Story Table — where we like to weave together seasonal themes and topics. Wander and discover —that’s what makes SHED a fun experience. Stop at the ferm bar for a shrub and a nibble, or take a seat at our community table and say hello to someone new sitting next to you. We hope you’ll consider us a vibrant place to eat, connect, share, learn, and grow.
What is it about natural disasters that bring out the best in people?
When central Alabama was hit in 2011 by a series of tornadoes, “the best in people” was about the furthest thing from anyone’s mind. These towns, from tiny Cordova, which looked like a set from The Walking Dead when the tornadoes ripped through like a zombie attack, to Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama and site of the most casualties, faced one of the lowest moments in their histories.
But sometimes, it’s disasters like this that cause true rebirth.
Bo Jackson is Alabama’s Jens Voigt. Many Alabamans don’t know Jens, of course. But if you describe Jensie’s toughness, grit and happy-go-lucky attitude, they’d think you’re talking about Bo Jackson. He is known as the most famous two-sport athlete in the world, and the most famous export of Alabama, an All-Star in both baseball and football, and winner of the Heisman Trophy at Auburn. He never quits. And that’s why he’s here. Because when Bo heard that this area, including his hometown of Bessemer, was severely damaged, his first reaction was to call his friends at Trek Bikes and reach for a bike.
John Burke, CEO of Trek, says it best. “Bo is one of the greatest sports legends of the last 100 years, and an even better person. What could I say when he called? This is an incredible opportunity to do good for a lot of people. The next thing I know, we’re driving 18 hours down to Alabama to join him and help out the victims of the tornadoes.”
Cycling has a way of making your senses come alive. Discovering the world on a bike is exciting. It’s visceral. You get closer to the road, the people and the curves of the earth than you can in a car, bus or a thousand on-line virtual tours. You smell the smells. Feel the air. Drink in the history.
Normally, bicycle tours are reserved for the fragrant olive groves of Tuscany and the epic views of the Alps. But it works just as well when you’re trying to get a sense of the rubble of a place that’s been battered. It’s the same ride. The same discovery. And in both cases, you learn to love the people you ride with and the destinations you visit.
Bo wanted to do something big for his home. He wanted to raise $1,000,000 in disaster relief. And he wanted to do it in a way that would draw out the communities together, as one people, getting to know the countryside together and rediscovering what makes Alabama great. There’s no better way to do that then on a bicycle.
Trek Travel saw his vision and got behind the mission. They sent Rebecca Falls, trip designer and tour expert, down to help. That was the beginning of Bo Bikes Bama, a five-day journey across central Alabama on bicycle. It was also the beginning of Bo Jackson’s third athletic career.
Bo is telling his own legs to “Shut up.” If you ask him, he “doesn’t know why” he chose a cycling tour as his fundraising method, but if you ride along with him, you learn quickly. And mostly? It’s because he’s not good at it.
He lumbers up the hills. ESPN’s Greatest Athlete of All Time is no match for the slow rollers of the Deep South. But he’s there. Chugging along. The big, hulking NFL engine that could. Like in all of cycling, there’s a romance in his struggle. He’s there not as the famous pro with all his pro friends making an appearance for charity like it was some golf tournament. In Bo Bikes Bama, he’s a man of the people. Struggling right along side friends, neighbors and countrymen. Riding through their hometowns on bikes with the victims’ names etched on his top tube, and taking the same rests at the summit of every climb.
He’s no pro cyclist. But in a state known more for its love of the SEC than the TDF, he’s Alabama’s hero on two wheels.
This is what Trek Travel is all about. You wouldn’t count Cordova, Alabama among the likes of Andalucia, Spain, or the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia. But Trek Travel is here, riding bikes, exploring the undiscovered reaches of a place that wasn’t built for bikes. Rebecca Falls should know. She’s from Tuscaloosa, and she’s completely impressed at what bikes have done for her home.
“How cool is it to get road bikes into communities that don’t traditionally connect with bicycling?” She asks. “As one of the most well-known and well-loved Alabamians, Bo Jackson is an incredible advocate for cycling in our home state.”
Bo Jackson understands this, almost implicitly. It might be why he chose cycling unconsciously. He knew that bikes are the great equalizer. They bring people together, and closer to the world around them. They’ve made him an athlete once again. And they’re going to change this place.
Sometimes, discovering the world on a bike isn’t all wine-tasting and epic selfies. Sometimes, it takes a natural disaster to show you a side of a place that you never saw before.
What is the vision behind JoLe and how is it being received?
Our vision from the very beginning has been to provide a top-notch fine dining experience, in a more casual, fun atmosphere. We want people to enjoy good food and the people they are with.
Where does the name JoLe come from?
Out two sons: Joe (11) and Jacob Levi (8).
What does the term ‘farm-to-table’ mean to you?
Fresh, seasonal and always-changing. We print our menus in house, which means we can change them daily depending on what comes in that day. You will probably never see the same menu twice at JoLe.
Tell us about your background. What inspired you to open a restaurant?
Both Matt and myself worked in many venues before deciding to open one of our own. After four wonderful years at our first restaurant Matyson in Philadelphia, we were eager for our next challenge. Northern California was calling, so we sold the restaurant, packed up the kids, and headed west. We happily landed in the quaint wine and spa town of Calistoga, enjoying the bounty of ingredients that the area has to offer.
What is the most rewarding part about your job?
Locals that come in numerous times per week and new customers that make a point to tell us how special their experience has been.
What excites you most about Calistoga, California?
We settled in Calistoga because the restaurant space was the right situation for us, and we loved being in a small town with foot traffic. We also liked being associated with the Mount View Hotel. This part of the world holds a special place in our hearts, as we were married here in 2001.
What are the five must-do’s while traveling in the Napa Valley?
1. Drive the Silverado Trail from top to bottom
2. Schedule a tasting at Jericho Canyon Vineyards
3. Sit at the bar of a great restaurant and meet a local winemaker
4. Pick up something you didn’t think your needed at Blackbird in Calistoga
5. Meet Jeff and Sally Manfredi at Calistoga Pottery, where they have been making beautiful pottery for over 30 years.
What should our guests most look forward to at JoLe?
For a quick, casual fix they should check out our awesome bar menu. For a more in depth dining experience, order a tasting menu of four, five or six courses. James, our manager and wine director, will pair wines with every course. It’s a great way to taste a lot of different dishes and wines without breaking the bank.
Do you have an especially memorable story from your many years in the restaurant industry?
In January 2001, at our first restaurant in Philadelphia, my water broke while I was standing at the host station. I was 30 weeks pregnant with our first child, and thought I just wet my pants because I was laughing so hard. Little did I know, our son Joe was born the next day.
Famous Coconut Cream Pie
Makes 1 nine-inch pie
Macadamia Crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees
3 1/4 ounces macadamia nuts, lightly toasted and cooled
6 3/4 ounces all purpose flour
2 ounces sugar
4 ounces unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
3/4 tsp. heavy cream
Process the nuts in a food processor with a little of the sugar until almost a powder.
Mix flour, nuts, sugar, and butter with paddle in KitchenAid until crumbly.
Add yolks and cream and mix just until combined into a dough.
Press dough into a 9-inch pie pan and blind bake with pie weights until golden brown.
Coconut Filling:
2 1/2 cups canned coconut milk
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut shavings, toasted until golden brown
1/4 cup cornstarch
10 egg yolks
1 gelatin sheet, softened in cold water
1 ounce unsalted butter
In a heavy pot, warm coconut milk, milk, sugar, vanilla bean, and toasted coconut until very hot but not boiling.
Remove from heat and let steep 1 hour.
In a medium bowl, whisk cornstarch and egg yolks until smooth. Set aside.
Temper milk mixture into egg mixture, combine completely, then strain through a chinois into a clean pot.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thick.
Remove the custard from the heat and immediately stir in the butter and softened gelatin until totally melted.
Immediately pour the custard into the cooled shell, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until set.
To serve, top pie with whipped cream and more toasted coconut.
Perhaps the greatest thing about guiding bicycle trips that interact with big races and follow Grand Tours is the opportunity to travel off the beaten path. We venture to parts of the world that tourists simply do not travel. This was no truer than at Trek Travel’s 2009 Giro d’Italia “Behind the Scenes” trip with the Astana Pro Cycling Team.
It is May 25th, 2009, and the sun is getting lower on the coast of Pescara, Italy. I glance down at my watch: 6:45PM. Dinner is scheduled shortly at a luxurious hotel in Francavilla al Mare, a tiny beach town set on the eastern Abruzzo coast of Italy. This is not just a simple meal, but rather, we have a dinner engagement with the Astana Team.
We had just picked up our crew of Trek Travel adventurers that morning, and immediately experienced an adrenaline-pumped, epic bike ride on the Giro race route. We literally rode up the mountain pass in front of the pros, to the cheers of locals. The Abruzzo region is known for being rugged, and today’s roads were no exception. They were narrow, bumpy, steep and fast. The crowds cheering at the top of our brutal climb were local: I would reckon roughly 98% Italian. But somehow, our group of Trek Travelers, when atop a bicycle, well, we somehow fit right in.
The energy matched the elevation atop our mountain pass, as we eagerly awaited the pros to cross the top. I stood next to a hobbit-sized, elderly, Italian lady with a face leathered and wrinkled by decades of hard work. In her arms she held a stack of bright-pink newspapers. I knew them instinctively: La Gazzetta dello Sport. It’s the title sponsor of the Giro d’Italia, and the inspiration—no truly, the reason—for the race-leader’s pink jersey. The breeze turned chilly as the riders crested the hilltop with much bravado and fanfare. The small, wrinkled hobbit slowly reached her weathered hand in front of her, a pink newspaper clutched in it. As riders prepared for their descent in the frigid, mountain air, they looked around for something warm. Rider after rider eagerly snatched a pink paper from her, stuffing their jerseys with their newly-found insulation. With a smile on her face, she repeated this again and again, barely bothering to look up, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But of course riders would be chilly on top of a hill; of course they would need something to keep warm on the descent.
I turned our Trek Travel van around the corner to the team hotel, where we met the mechanics who were cleaning and prepping the bikes, and met with behind the scenes support staff who ran us through their process of managing team logistics, the particulars of wrenching from the team car, and shared some of the team’s quirks and lesser-known details.
Then we went inside to enjoy dinner and met with the team managers and some members of the team: Levi Leipheimer (most-improved outgoing personality), Jose “Chechu” Luis Rubiera (kindest cyclist), Jani Brakovic (most gentle, honest rider), Viatcheslav Ekimov (best mullet), and more. After we enjoyed an exceptional Italian feast (many kilos of pasta were eaten that night), we sat around talking and laughing with other members of the team. I had this keen sense that—aside from being able to ride their bike really fast—these guys were just the same as any of us. Here they were, an international group of talented athletes, in a country far from family and friends. An excited group of Trek Travel cycling fans traveled to this small, Abbruzzese town to cheer wildly for them, to share their stories, to encourage them. It was clear that some of our energy and excitement infused back to the team that night.
We stopped for a quick round of billiards and a nightcap with the mechanics and support staff before drifting back to our beachside hotel where the group regaled each other with their own perspectives and highlights from a night of excitement and stimulation. Someone remarked that the trip had been a success and that they could go home happy right then and there, which brought a smile to my lips.
Because that was just day one.
About the Author: Jacob Young, a guide and trip designer who started with Trek Travel at the very beginning, is happiest when showing people new places, a passion he discovered 15 years ago while guiding a friend up Mt. Rainier. When not guiding bike trips, you’ll find him handling logistics for the biggest bike races in North America, or out leading yoga retreats in tropical destinations.
Meet Adrian and Drew, owners of Agua Tibia surf school in Costa Rica. Sense their passion for the sport as you follow along on their journey of adventure, discovery and the search for big waves.
Tell us your story. What inspired you to start surfing?
Adrian: After school I would do my homework then swim in the river with friends. That’s all we did outside of school – homework and swim. Then one year after moving to Samara Beach in 1999 I tried surfing for the first time. The feeling of riding a board in the water was even more fun than just swimming in it. As the time passes and I am able to see many beautiful places in the world and get to know more great people, their culture and the beauty of each place, it brings me back to swimming in that river as a boy and catching my first wave.
Drew: I had been a skateboarder since I was 10 years old, and had my first surf experience when I was 20. It wasn’t that great, as a matter of fact I almost drowned two times. I went to the beach with a surfer friend of mine and he gave me his short board to learn on. The waves were over 6 feet that day (that means overhead surf). Of course he didn’t explain anything to me but I was eager to try so I paddled out and somehow made it there. I tried to catch some waves but it didn’t work. It was very intimidating to see that big, dark hole I was supposed to drop into. At this point I was exhausted, I couldn’t find my friend and it was getting dark so I decided to paddle in. A strong rip current pulled me. Knowing nothing of how to handle it at the time, I lost my board when a big wave crashed on me. I grew up swimming in rivers, so I am a decent swimmer. I swam to a surfer guy and asked for help. He told me to get on his board and we took a wave into shore.
The funny thing is that I did the same thing again. This was my second try. Same beach, same friend, same board, same waves, same current. This time was more intense. I couldn’t find someone to ask for help. Then all of a sudden an Argentinian lifeguard on shore saw my board drifting in without me. He picked it up and paddled out to get me. He saved me. I never got his name or saw him again, but he saved my life.
As you can imagine after these two experiences I decided that surfing was not for me. I was comfortable on the concrete with my wheels. Two years later I was doing social work in Nicaragua and my surfer friend calls me about this job at a hotel reception desk in Playa Guiones. When I got his call I had just started my trip and I was going to be out of the country for a month. I did a phone interview and they gave me the time to come back and take the job. That was my first time in Nosara.
At that time it was basically impossible to skate around Nosara. I remember there was one mini half pipe where I would go. Everyone was into surfing here and I had my surfing experience already. I didn’t get into the water until six months after I moved here. Since I couldn’t skate I started to get interested in surfing again. But now I had a bad experience so before I went for it I asked a couple of the new surfer friends. They just said go for it, on a bigger board. And I thought that was enough to go for it again. I borrowed a bigger board (7’3”) and started to paddle out. Nobody told me I could do white water so I went straight out to the green waves. It took me about three months to be able to get out there and then I finally made it. I was out there on a big day. The moment I look around trying to find a familiar face I could only see three of the best surfers in town out there with me. And then I thought to myself, “What am I doing here?” Now I knew a little more about safety and I just focused on not losing my board. I waited for an hour to find a smaller wave to catch. It didn’t happen. I started to paddle for what I thought was a good one and the wave just kept building under my board. All I could think was, “If I don’t make it, I die.” I made it. I stood up, went down the line and all the way into shore. I will never forget that wave. After that I did some downhill long boarding but having the power of the ocean pushing at that speed was and still is the best feeling there is. That first wave did it. That was my inspiration to surf.
What inspired you to open your own surf school?
Adrian: After discovering that surfing was the main reason why I was going to stay here in Nosara I decided to start focusing more on improving my English, my surfing skills, and also trying to get a deeper connection with the ocean and its constant change. In 2010 I got a job at my friend’s surf school and I began as the guy who would clean the boards and put them inside. Soon I was at the front desk making reservations for the surf lessons and three months later I found myself teaching my first lesson. Teaching others reminded me of the first time I caught a wave. At that point I knew I wanted to own my own surf school. I knew I wanted to bring smiles and happiness to people, and maybe even change their way of seeing life after learning how to surf.
Drew: After working for the hotel for a year, they let me go. I had been surfing for six months and made a lot of new friends. Two of my new friends had a surf school and they hired me to be their receptionist. One day we had so many students they needed me to help them teach. So there I was, a six-month-old surfer teaching beginners. I started to notice that everything I was teaching also helped me improve my own surfing and at the same time I enjoyed teaching so much. I met Adrian there and we worked together for over two seasons. We were basically managing our friends surf school as they were getting a bit detached from it. We started talking about opening our own place and that’s how we started to sketch what Agua Tibia is now.
Tell us about the best wave you’ve ever caught.
Adrian: How could I forget that moment. It was at Playa Pavones in southern Costa Rica and I was on a fabulous trip with my friends. We got there two days before the swell hit and it was kind of small but we knew it was going to get better as the day went on. Once we were in the water it was even better than we thought. We woke really early on Thursday morning at 4:50AM, I made coffee and breakfast and after a good meal we headed to the water. As soon as we saw the first wave breaking we knew that the long drive (10 hours) was so worth it. I have to mention that this wave only breaks to the left because it’s a point break and also is the second longest wave of the world. Truly, this wave has been my best wave ever because it was super long, big and clean. It was what we call a perfect wave, so I will never forget this experience. We got to surf two of the longest and best waves of Costa Rica and I had the longest wave of my surf lifetime so far.
Drew: One day I was long boarding and I was around 50ft further out than the rest of the line up and I saw this massive wave building 100ft further out than where I was. So I found myself thinking, “Should I paddle out to it and go through or should I paddle in to the rest of the line up to skip it?” Two seconds later I decided to paddle out to it and try to pass it. I got to it and I was perfectly positioned. I went for it. So scary. So much adrenaline. So much fun. That’s a wave I will always remember. Makes me smile just to think of it.
What excites you most about Costa Rica?
Adrian: I love our culture. The people are so welcoming, warm and open. When you walk down the street you always hear everyone saying “Pura Vida” which means “Pure Life” in English. It really is a pure lifestyle here in the jungle, close to nature. We are conservative with our water, conscious of where our trash is going, always keeping compost in our yard, eating healthy, helping the animals and spending as much time as we can outdoors.
Drew: Our people. The Pura Vida. You know one is truly Tico when you feel at home. Of course there are all kinds of people here but real Costa Ricans are welcoming and warm, honest, respectful, loving, caring and always willing to help. I see all this slowly dying in the new generations but we live like that here. We fight to conserve it. Pura Vida.
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